1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an encoder that is usable for various apparatuses such as optical apparatuses and outputs, with relative movement of a scale and a sensor, a signal showing position of a movable member provided in the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Encoders that are used to detect position and speed of a movable member are constituted by a scale provided with a periodic pattern and a sensor outputting a periodic signal that periodically changes corresponding to the periodic pattern with relative movement of the sensor and the scale. Such encoders include an incremental encoder that, for example, produces two periodic signals (two phase signals) having mutually different phases from one periodic pattern and detects a relative position of the scale and the sensor from a frequency and the phases of the two phase signals. Moreover, the encoders also include an absolute encoder that, for example, produces two paired two phase signals from two periodic patterns having mutually different periods and detects an absolute position of the scale or the sensor from a difference (phase difference) between the phases of one of the two paired two phase signals and the phases of the other paired two phase signals.
Such an absolute encoder has an advantage that a reset operation to detect a reference position for position detection before start of the position detection such as at a time of power-on, which is needed for the incremental encoder, is not needed. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-283701 discloses an absolute encoder using three periodic patterns (scales).
However, the absolute encoder has to read more numbers of the periodic patterns than the incremental encoder, and thereby needs multiple detectors corresponding to the number of the periodic patterns, which makes a configuration of the encoder complex.
An absolute encoder in which the number of the detectors is reduced can be realized by providing multiple periodic patterns having mutually different periods in the scale and by time-sequentially switching a detection period of the detector in the sensor (that is, by switching a reading target periodic pattern).
However, such an absolute encoder involves the following problem: immediately after switching the detection period of the detector in the sensor, a certain amount of time is necessary for a signal outputting element such as a light-receiving element or a magnetic detection element that constitutes the detector to output a stable periodic signal (analogue signal), which causes delay in the position detection at each switching of the detection period.